Group of Five Upset Alert 2017: 5 threats to dish out Week 3 upsets

Last weekend, San Diego State went to Tempe and took down Arizona State in a thorough 30-20 victory. At the same time, then-No. 14 Stanford was falling 42-24 on the road at No. 6 USC despite a 160-yard rushing effort from Bryce Love. It was a shift in fortunes for two teams both intent on winning their respective conference titles.

In their win over the Sun Devils, SDSU’s defense was able to contain Kalen Ballage and the rest of the Arizona State backfield. As a team, the Sun Devils managed to rush for just 44 yards on 31 carries. Week 1 opponent UC-Davis actually fared slightly better against San Diego State than the Sun Devils, gaining 57 yards on 27 carries.

The Aztecs and Cardinal thus meet on different trajectories. and the hosts could continue their rise with a second straight win over a Pac-12 opponent. Stanford still has yet to play at home, after opening in Sydney, Australia and playing in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Trojans.

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Heading into the showdown in San Diego, Stanford is a 9.5-point favorite. The Aztecs are definitely going to cover that spread, and they are in good position to win outright. Look for Rashaad Penny to rush for 150 yards against a ranked Cardinal team. The hosts will secure a major upset to bolster their credentials in the New Year’s Six race candidates from the Group of Five.